A man has been charged with drug smuggling following a National Crime Agency investigation after nearly £1m of cocaine was found hidden in an electric wheelchair.
Casimiro De Lemos Francisco, 56, was stopped at Manchester Airport on Sunday after he arrived on a flight from Bridgetown in Barbados.
Border Force officers scanned the wheelchair, which contained 11 packages, weighing 12k, concealed in the seat and backrest.
De Lemos Francisco, a Portuguese national, was remanded today at Manchester and Salford Magistrates’ Court and will appear next at Manchester Crown Court on 6 May.
NCA senior investigating officer Charles Lee said, “The concealment shows the ingenuity crime groups employ to smuggle cocaine.
“The NCA works with partners at home and abroad to combat the threat of Class A drugs and protect the UK public.”
